MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING UNIVERSITY OF QUY NHON HUYNH THI VAN ANH TEACHERS' PERSPECTIVES ON APPLYING THE MIND MAPPING TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE GRADE 10 STUDENTS' READING COMPREHENSION: A CASE STUDY AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN DAK LAK PROVINCE Field: Theory and Methodology English Language Teaching Code: 8140111 Supervisor: Truong Van Dinh, Ph. Binh Dinh - 2023 BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN HUỲNH THỊ VÂN ANH QUAN ĐIỂM CỦA GIÁO VIÊN VỀ VIỆC ÁP DỤNG SƠ ĐỒ TƯ DUY VÀO CẢI THIỆN KHẢ NĂNG ĐỌC HIỂU CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 10: MỘT NGHIÊN CỨU CỤ THỂ TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG THPT Ở ĐẮK LẮK Ngành: Lý luận và phương pháp dạy học bộ môn tiếng Anh Mã số: 8140111 Người hướng dẫn: TS. TRƯƠNG VĂN ĐỊNH Bình Định - 2023 i DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP The thesis entitled “Teachers’ Perspectives on Applying MMT to improve G10 Students’ Reading Comprehension: A Case Study at a High School in Dak Lak Province” is conducted under the supervision of Dr. Truong Van Dinh, a lecturer working at Quy Nhon University.
I declare that the information reported in this study results from my work and effort, except where due reference is made. The thesis has not been accepted for any degree and is not simultaneously submitted to any candidature for any degree or diploma. Binh Dinh, 2023 Signed Huynh Thi Van Anh ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Truong Van Dinh, who spent valuable time giving me instructions, advice, constructive comments and encouragement.
This thesis would not have been completed if it had not been for my supervisor’s great support. Secondly, I would like to thank my colleagues who encouraged me and shared much experience in thesis writing with me. Thirdly, I am also grateful for all the students in my class who participated in the study, giving me helpful insight into the research problem. Finally, thanks to all my family support, I completed the thesis on time.
iii ABSTRACT This study aims to examine the EFL teachers’ perspectives on using the Mind Mapping Technique to improve G10 students' reading competency at a high school in Dak Lak province. To fulfill this aim, the study was carried out with 10 EFL teachers teaching at Le Duan High School in Dak Lak province. The research instrument employed in this research included quantitative data questionnaires and semi-structured interviews for qualitative data. 10 EFL teachers also participated in the questionnaire and the interviews.
The findings showed that most EFL teachers had positive opinions on the benefits, drawbacks and proposed solutions to drawbacks of using Mind Mapping Technique to teach reading comprehension to grade 10 students. The findings also identified that EFL teachers had different perspectives due to their different teaching experience and knowledge. For further language teaching and learning, EFL teachers and students at high school level hope to apply this technique to learning the three other language skills writing, listening and speaking. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP.
iii TABLE OF CONTENTS .iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. vii LIST OF TABLES. viii LIST OF FIGURES. Aim and Objectives of the Study.
Aim of the Study. Objectives of the Study. Scope of the Study. Significance of the Study.
Structure of the Study. Definition of Reading Comprehension. Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension. Mind Mapping Technique.
Definition of Mind Mapping Technique. Use of Mind Mapping Technique. Classification of Mind Maps. EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Benefits and Drawbacks of Using MMT to Teach Reading Comprehension.
EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Benefits of Using MMT to Teach Reading Comprehension. EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Drawbacks of Using MMT to Teach Reading Comprehension. Research Setting and Participants. Semi-structured Interview.
Reliability and Validity. Reliability and Validity of Questionnaire. Reliability and Validity of Interview. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION.
EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Benefits of Using MMT to Teach Reading Comprehension. EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Drawbacks of Using MMT to Teach Reading Comprehension. EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Solutions to Drawbacks of Using MMT to Teach Reading Comprehension. Summary of the Major Findings.
CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS. Suggestions for Further Research. AP-1 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS BA Bachelor of Arts FELTE Faculty of English Language Teacher Education FE Faculty of English UFLS University of Foreign Language Studies UD University of Danang L2 Second Language DL-LDHS Dak Lak-based Le Duan High School MMT Mind Mapping Technique EFL English as a Foreign Language G10 Grade 10 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension 10 Table 2 EFL Tearchers’ Demographic Information 27 Table 3 Reliability of Questionnaire 33 Table 4 Questionnaire of EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Benefits of MMT 35 Table 5 EFL Teachers’ Views on Use of MMT to Visualize Ideas on Lesson Plans 36 Table 6 EFL Teachers’ Views on Use of MMT to Arouse Students’ Enthusiasm With Reading Comprehension Lessons 37 Table 7 EFL Teachers’ Views on Use of MMT to Save Time for Revision 38 Table 8 EFL Teachers’ Views on Use of MMT in Vocabulary and Keywords Memorization 39 Table 9 EFL Teachers’ Views on Use of MMT to Organize Ideas on Topics in a Systematic Manner 40 Table 10 Questionnaire of EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Drawbacks of MMT 41 Table 11 EFL Teachers’ Views on Students’ Lack of Necessary Information Due to Use of MMT 42 Table 12 EFL Teachers’ Views on Use of MMT in Decreasing Students’ Note- taking Ability 43 Table 13 EFL Teachers’ Views on MMT Leading to a Reduction of Peer Interaction 44 Table 14 EFL Teachers’ Views on U a Waste of Time for Drawing 45 Table 15 EFL Teachers’ Views on Students’ Mind Map Drawing Without Proper Training 46 Table 16 Questionnaire of EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Solutions 49 Table 17 EFL Teachers’ Views on Introducing MMT into Curriculum 50 Table 18 EFL Teachers’ Views on Addition of Other Resources to MMT 51 ix Table 19 EFL Teachers’ Views on Preparation of Mind Maps in Advance 52 Table 20 EFL Teachers’ Views on Awarding Preferential Points for Drawing Mind Maps 53 Table 21 EFL Teachers’ Views on Saving Time With Online Tools and Software 53 x LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Example of a Mind Map 12 Figure 2 Rules of Mind Mapping 14 Figure 3 Brace Mind Map 16 Figure 4 Bubble Mind Map 16 Figure 5 Circle Map 17 Figure 6 Tree Mind Map 17 Figure 7 Flow Mind Map 18 Figure 8 Fishbone Mind Map 18 1 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION This chapter introduces the rationale underlying this current study.
The chapter comprises six parts: (1) rationale, (2) aim and objectives of the study, (3) research questions, (4) scope of the study, (5) significance of the study and (6) organization of the study. Rationale At present, English has become an international language used by many people all over the world. It is taught in most schools, universities and other educational institutions. It is used as a means of communication among countries, including in Vietnam, in either spoken or written form.
It is also considered one of the requisite languages in the world and is crucial to learn, especially for young learners. This language can be used to give or receive information and advance education, technology and the arts. Moreover, parents must prepare their children to study English as soon as possible since their brain is ready for learning and most of them have abilities to memorize well from a very early time. There are four primary basic learning skills in English: speaking, listening, writing and reading.
Among them, task is one of the most efficient ways to get a student's information. Carrell and Grabe (2010) claimed that the capacity to read in a particular second language (L2) was considered a crucial skill for academic students; hence, it represented the prime way for independent language learning. Reading has played a fundamental role in our lives; it helps students get information from what they read, which is beneficial in learning English. It relies on several processes, the most critical of which is reading comprehension.
It is considered the most important mental skill that directly connects and affects the academic achievement and learning process for a future career. Therefore, reading comprehension has become a potential field 2 for researchers who study all factors and aspects that may hinder strategies that might lead to its development. According to Ningrum and Widyawati (2015), reading is a way to get and interpret important information and knowledge, involving a complex process to construct students’ meaning from a written text. In addition, comprehension in reading can be reached when students know how to apply a set of skills and strategies to accomplish their reading purposes.
Mastering reading comprehension can help students learn more about documentary items written in this international language. Reading comprehension is one of the most essential English aspects that language learners, including high school students, should master. In Vietnam, high school students can answer the questions correctly when they can comprehend the text in the national exam. Yet, some students still find it challenging to understand the text and so are these at Le Duan High School in Dak Lak province (DL-LDHS).
It is difficult for high school students, such as tenth-graders, to obtain reading comprehension skills. Comprehending reading texts is sometimes challenging to achieve. Grade 10 (G10) students at DL-LDHS have low reading comprehension achievements in reading question types like getting the main idea, supporting details and even deciding the schematic structure of the text. They need more than just recalling information given in a text.
Mostly, the problems faced are getting the main idea and the statement stated. Adding to students’ lazy reading habits, they think reading comprehension is too dull. Consequently, these students keep making errors and mistakes, especially errors relating to reading comprehension without unintentionally or intentionally correcting these errors and mistakes. It is clear that tenth-grade students are weak in learning English in general and reading comprehension in particular.
They lack suitable strategies that help them comprehend reading texts. 3 These reasons come from both sides, including EFL teachers at DL- LDHS. On the EFL teachers’ side, they focus mainly on grammar and vocabulary and pay little attention to students’ reading comprehension learning strategies. Undeniably, many techniques are engaged in this problem (such as Vietnamese-English translation, visual illustration by pictures or short videos, etc.
In particular, EFL teachers also undertake an essential role in assessing those skills, including reading comprehension, to guarantee the quality of the learning process via classroom practices or learning activities that are by far the best support for the students’ learning lessons, supported by (Rohaniyah & Nasrullah, 2022). Moreover, EFL teachers cannot wholly transfer their perspectives to students because students and EFL teachers do not share the same levels of knowledge and experience. Hence, it takes a long time for students to learn and even a great deal of effort for EFL teachers to teach these skills. To deal with these drawbacks, EFL teachers must use more effective teaching techniques to improve their students’ reading comprehension.
According to several researchers like Siriphanich and Laohawiryanan (2010), Christodoulou (2019), Liu, Chen and Chang (2010), using MMT to teach English reading comprehension skills has proven its efficiency in developing the level of reading competency among students. Buzan (2007) claims that MMT is a logical and hierarchical thinking technique that allows EFL teachers to guide students when recording ideas and information and to combine words with visual representations. Mind mapping is said to be one of the techniques or activities that can be used in teaching and learning reading comprehension effectively.